Our Own Path
by zenfar
Summary: This world is full of adventure and danger. Monsters and magic. Angels and demons. Kings and castles. Dungeons and Dragons Adventures thrive on what lies behind the next clearing of old trees, atop the summit of the icy mountain, around the corner of the dark cave. Welcome to a world where anything can happen. ROTBTFD DnD Style Jelsa, Hiccstrid, and more
1. Session 1 - Path of Ice and Snow: Part 1

This world is full of adventure and danger.

Monsters and magic.

Angels and demons.

Kings and castles.

Dungeons and Dragons

Adventures thrive on what lies behind the next clearing of old trees, atop the summit of the icy mountain, around the corner of the dark cave.

Welcome to a world where anything can happen.

* * *

 **Path of Ice and Snow: Part 1**

"A cave?"

"Yep."

"A crystal cave will tell me everything I want to know?"

"Uh-huh, but you only can ask three questions."

"How do you know that?"

"Been there myself, found my answers, only got three for three."

"Why is tha-"

"Nope! No more questions. You only get three, remember?" She deadpanned him. "Hey don't look at me like that, I'm invisible. People will think you're weird, glaring at the air." That damn grin. She hated that damn, self-satisfied smirk that almost always played at his thin lips.

"This town is weird enough," Elsa said, sighing and turning away from her 'companion.' Elsa had never been outside of Arendelle Castle before, so she didn't know if this was the norm for the surrounding towns and villages. Black was the theme color on the shops, houses and inns. Art of horses shrouded in shadow decorated black banners. The style was interesting enough for Elsa to pause a few times.

"You want to get to the crystal cave before dark?" Jack asked, balancing on his crooked staff a few feet in front of her, "then we better get moving. It's best not to linger here."

"Why so?" Elsa asked, moving to the side to avoid a large beefy man with a powerful mustache. "We could rest here and continue in the morning."

"Bad idea," Jack replied, standing up straight on his staff, looking around. "I'll tell you why once we leave." Elsa opened her mouth to respond but a hand clamped over her mouth. Something sharp and pointy was pressed into the small of her back. Hot breath whispered next to her ear.

"Come now pretty lady," the wheezing voice muttered. "Time to go where I tell you."

"See what I mean?" Jack said, sighing and hoping down. He moved rather nonchalantly despite the wide fear in Elsa's eyes. It was taking all of her will power to hold the pressure building up behind her finger tips.

"I told you," Jack said, as he walked up to stand beside Elsa. She could see him if she strained her eyes. She nodded and the man grunted, edging forward with Elsa awkwardly trying to find her feet. The temperature began to drop and the man holding Elsa froze. Ice literally coated the hand over Elsa's mouth. The pressure of the knife on her back disappeared and she ducked under the hand, and spun to get a better look.

Jack spun his staff once, then casually poked the ice statue before him. It fell to the dirt road with a soft thump. "Men like him make my skin crawl." His voice was even and his face as impassive as ever. However, there was a coldness to his crystal eyes, a temperature that matched the ice coating the man now frozen on the ground. Elsa took a deep breath, trying to calm her heart. The pressure in her fingers was still building. Jack raised and eyebrow at her, then looked down at her hands.

Elsa raised closed fists to her chest and closed her eyes.

Conceal, don't feel.

"Enough of that," Jack said, walking forward and placing a hand over Elsa's. She opened her eyes in shock when the pressure vanished.

"Wha-what did you do?"

"Dispel magic," Jack said simply, patting her closed fist. "I can do more than just play with some snow. And after we get to the cave, I'll teach you every spell I know." Elsa nodded, gulping again. She lowered her hands and Jack smiled. It wasn't his damn grin, but a genuine smile, a smile that calmed her. She returned it, thankful for his intervention before and the knowledge that one of them knew what they were doing. For a moment, they stood there, smiling at each other. Then Jack stepped back, looking up over Elsa's head.

"We can stay the night here if you want," Jack said. Elsa hesitated. She looked down at herself. She was wearing a green cloak over one of her formal dresses from the castle. "And it'd be best if you decided to change into something less…"

"Less eye attracting," Elsa finished. Jack nodded. "We can get a change of clothes but I want to make it to the cave tonight." Jack blinked in surprise, then nodded, grinning. Damn that grin.

* * *

Four hours later, Elsa was walking away from the village feeling very odd. She wore a dull brown leather tunic, loose around the chest so as not to accentuate her bust, and a shin length leather skirt, slit up to mid-thigh for travel convenience, with comfortable yet worn boots. Her green cloak was still around her shoulders and a small pack was slung down her back.

"That took longer than expected," Jack grumbled, walking beside Elsa. The sun was beginning to dip below the horizon.

"I needed to find the right clothing," Elsa huffed, making sure her hair was still tied up in a bun. She pulled her hood up then, and felt slightly more comfortable knowing that her platinum blonde locks were now hidden. They drew unwanted attention, as earlier in the afternoon had taught her that. It also taught her she could trust Jack. Just a little, but it was something she could do. Her insecurity over leaving her home, her prison more like, had been high.

But there had been a rush when that dagger was pressed into her back. Adrenaline had pumped through her veins and she had been slightly tempted to let go of that pressure. She had power. She wanted to use it for more than just building snow forts, snowman, and having fun with her sis-

She stopped, halting on the path.

"Elsa?" Jack asked, giving her an odd look. She shook her head.

"It's nothing," she said, grimacing. She started walking again.

"Didn't seem like nothing," Jack muttered. Elsa humph-ed and continued on down a steady slow towards a thicket of trees. She frowned slightly as she felt a small tug from Jack. His hand wasn't grabbing her cloak, he wasn't physically tugging her, and yet, Elsa could feel a pull from Jack. It felt so odd that she tried to push it off.

Jack stumbled to the side, gasping in shock. Elsa jumped, looking at him with concern. Jack rubbed his head and glared at her.

"You didn't have to push back that hard," he grumbled. "That hurt, you know."

"What do you mean push?" Elsa asked as they kept walking, though Jack kept a wider distance between himself and Elsa. He sighed.

"I tried to read your thoughts," he said, taking another step away as if afraid she would hit him.

"My thoughts?"

"Yeah. Simple spell, but it gives the one under assault an opportunity to push off the attack. And you just did, nearly blasting me off my feet in the process." Elsa opened her mouth then closed it again.

"Oh," she said simply. "Are you okay?" She had only met this guy two days ago, but he had already protected her, guided her in what to wear and buy (though he wasn't so fashionable) and shown her a great deal of kindness. She was concerned for his safety. Seemed like the 'good person' thing to do, anyway.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," he said brushing dirt from, her blue tunic. His brown pants were ripped and worn and he was shod with no shoes. His bare feet and skin were pale as the stars above, which were visible as it was a moonless light. Their light was little, but enough.

"We are close," he said, pointing to the thicket of trees. "Just in there." As the approached, Jack held his staff at the ready. Elsa hesitated. She had bought a small dagger from the blacksmith earlier. She pulled it out hesitantly and… was she holding it at the ready?

"Sadly, I don't know how to use a dagger," Jack said, glancing back at Elsa and smirking at her stance. Damn that smirk. "I'll show you how to use a staff later if you want." Elsa scowled, looking past Jack into the trees. Something caught her eye. It was the glimmer of something shiny beyond the foliage.

"Careful now, princess," Jack teased, stepping in front of Elsa, "you never know what might be lurking in the woods of this world." Elsa shook her head, but followed Jack, secretly grateful that he was braver than she. They passed the bushed and under branches and came to a clearing. Or, what used to be a clearing.

"You ever have those days where things are going good, you're walking along, then BAM! A meteorite, right where you need to go!" Jack shook his head, muttering curses in languages Elsa couldn't understand.

She didn't join him, but stared at the massive stone sitting in the middle of the crater that was now the clearing, or had created the clearing. Holes dotted the oddly shaped rock, but Elsa could tell it wasn't normal rock.

"Shall we enter therein, your majesty?" Jack asked, bowing with exaggerated finesse. He was gesturing to one of the larger holes in the rock, large enough for a bulky orc to pass through. "Cause this isn't just a random rock," Jack said, grinning with excitement. "It's a den of something."

Damn that smirk.

"Something?" Elsa asked, gulping back some fear. It just became stuck in her throat. Jack approached to rock and placed his hand on the stone.

"Oh yeah," he said, his grin becoming wider, if possible. "Mind-flayers." He jumped into the air, clicked his heels together, then danced into the entrance.

"Damn him and his smirk," Elsa muttered. She needed to work on her language. It was not fitting for a princess to be cursing like a sailor. Then again, it wasn't fitting for a princess to be wearing such leather clothes, and walking through the forest after dark with a stranger. The pressure in Elsa's fingers grew as she took a deep breath and followed Jack into the darkness.

* * *

 **So, I love DnD(Dungeons and Dragons). I played it with some friends and I was the DM(Dungeon Master). Creating a whole world based off some rules in a book, a set of dice and my own imagination was awesome!**

 **I had already posted a different beginning to this story, but I couldn't find it in myself to continue that bead, so I restarted. Hopefully this will go on further than three chapters /:**

 **Also, I don't know how many of those who read this have played DnD before, but in practically everything, you roll dice for the result. All the dice rolls for action results are based on a dice with 20 sides, or d20. When Jack moved to freeze the guy who held Elsa, when Elsa 'pushed' back against Jack's spell.**

 **For all of those, I rolled a d20. That's how this story is going to work**

 **Also also, I really enjoy writing like this, with the unknown of what will happen to the characters as a result of dice rolls.**

 **Also also also, Jelsa will be a thing, along with other pairings in the ROTBTFD fandom. Jelsa is why I started this so that is set in stone. Other pairings will be up to you, the readers, and the dice, hehe…**

 **So many possibilities for the Completely Predictable Yet Unexpected Journey Where Anything Can Happen!  
wow, that's a mouthful… and the post thing is almost as long as the chapter itself! I'll stop talking now **


	2. Session 2 - Path of Beasts: Part 1

This world is full of adventure and danger.

Monsters and magic.

Angels and demons.

Kings and castles.

Dungeons and Dragons

Adventures thrive on what lies behind the next clearing of old trees, atop the summit of the icy mountain, around the corner of the dark cave.

Welcome to a world where anything can happen.

* * *

 **Path of the Beasts: Part 1**

Hiccup had always thought that the gods hated him. It was now confirmed. The gods indeed hated him. With a passion. They must enjoy putting his fishbone body into situations where he had to do something he really did not want to do. They must laugh and chortle as he cringed and struggled. There really wasn't much he could do, except try not to die.

Unfortunately, that involved having to kill someone, hide the fact that it was him, flee from his birthplace, and leave the only human he cared about. The gods really did hate him.

Now, the wind was blowing through his brown hair as he squinted into the night, trying to avoid crashing as much as possible. It was easier said than done. If it was just him, flying would be easy. Well, if he could fly on his own then this wouldn't be an issue. But the issue now that had started the whole situation, the catalyst the gods threw into his life to make everything he already disliked worse, was between his legs.

Hiccup chanced a look behind him. The shadow of his birthplace was nothing more than a small speck, a spire no taller than his thumbnail at this distance. He couldn't even see the lights of the fire's. He sighed, turning forward to see the sea stretched out before him. Far away, on the horizon, was a long stretch of blackness.

"There it is bud," Hiccup said patting his scaly companion on the neck. A garbled reply followed. Words flowing into Hiccup's mind like flowing water, a 'gift' he had that didn't always work.

 _My wings are tingling and my backside is sore. You really need to work on you're cooking_. Hiccup groaned, looking up into the star speckled night sky.

"Why do you do this to me?" His question was answered by no one. "I'm flying for my life- "

 _I am flying and you are sitting, stupid goblin,_ Toothless grumbled.

"On the back of a useless reptile- "

 _You know I can spit rainbows and poop butterflies._

"That I can only understand half the time!"

 _Are you done with that sandwich? It looks super good and I really need to have sex at this point in my life._

"What?" Hiccup asked incredulously, looking down at Toothless.

 _I'm hungry and tired,_ Toothless said sighing, his head bowing in time with the words sliding into Hiccup's mind. Hiccup already knew that his friend was exhausted. His 'gift' made sure of that the hunger in the dragon's belly wasn't lost on the human. However, Hiccup, had just eaten some leftover and thrown up cod. As nasty as it was, his belly was filled so he focused on how he was full. The desire for hunger dissipated and gratefulness beamed from Toothless.

"We are in this together bud," Hiccup laid down reaching up to scratch the top of Toothless' head. "We got to watch out for each other."

 _So, I guess that means you should ignore the smell of bad socks?_

"Bad socks?"

 _Yes, yours are particularly nasty._

"I just changed my socks," Hiccup retorted, sitting back up and scowling. As he did so, he noticed a small light in the distance. It boobed up and down on the water, like it was on a ship or something.

"Bad socks…" Hiccup muttered. "Did you mean to tell me about the ship?"

 _Yeah,_ Toothless said, looking back up at Hiccup while irritated confusion oozed from the dragon _. Why didn't you get that the first time?_

"Because whatever connects us messes up your words!"

 _Not my fault that gag reflexes make no sense!_

"Your words make no sense," Hiccup grumbled. He shook himself, focusing more on the ship in front of him. It was a small vessel, barely large enough for a half dozen men. Hiccup shook his head and focused. It was too dark to tell.

"A little help, bud?" Hiccup asked, a desire to see what the dragon saw rising in his heart. Hiccup's vison went green. Suddenly, everything was bright and clear. Hiccup gasped, shuddering as the perception nearly overwhelmed him. The ship was larger than Hiccup had first assumed. He was correct with the half dozen or so men. He could see each one, the clothes they wore, the tattoos on skin taught with muscles earned from long hard days at sea. He could even easily define the leader. The way others deferred to him was clear in their postures.

The leader was more muscular than the others, hair a slick black tied in a pony tail. Two shot swords hung on his waist and back. There was a burn just under the collar of a goat skin leather shirt. He was grinning as he loaded the ballista and fired the net.

"Wait," Hiccup said, frowning as rushing wind filled his ears. He blinked and his world returned to the darkness of night. "Toothless?" He asked. Toothless roared in defiance and dropped into a steep dive.

Hiccup screamed in shock as the massive net flew overhead, barely missing the flying duo.

"A little warning next time!" Hiccup shouted over the wind, crouching low and regaining composure.

 _You were looking through my tail end! How did you not want to die?_ Hiccup signed inwardly. He closed his eyes and let his 'gift' take full effect.

 ** _When two become one, any who stand against will be undone._**

He took a deep breath as Toothless pulled up into the sky with lightning speed. Wind whipped at Hiccup's clothes but he didn't feel it. He felt his shoulders strain as he pumped his wings to gain altitude. His tail twisted as he leveled out. The air current around them held them in place. Any higher and he would have trouble staying aloft.

Toothless and Hiccup looked down at the ship as one. Their bond was of magic, but it had become perfected by friendship. A bond strong enough that Hiccup's hands were now stained with blood he couldn't wash off. A bond strong enough, Hiccup had left his home and abandoned his tribe. A bond strong enough that the puny trampers below had now idea what was about to happen.

Emotions vanished and clarity filled the two. Hiccup adjusted the tail wing he had crafted by hand to atone for his terrible act. At the same time, Toothless folded his wings half way, and both leaned forward. Toothless opened his mouth and let out a low whistle that grew with intensity. Hiccup leaned down, pressing his chest into the dragon's back. The speed was exhilarating. A fire grew in Hiccup's stomach and built in the maw of Toothless. Their aim would be flawless; however, both did not intend to sink the ship. They just wanted to make sure that these trappers feared the Night Fury in the sky.

A pop, followed by a massive purple fire ball, the smell of sulfur, a blast of steam. Hiccup and Toothless flew past the ship and continued to the strip of land in the distance.

Hiccup opened his eyes, an imaged burring into his mind. Just before they had blasted the sea right next to the pirate ship, Hiccup had locked eyes with the leader. Brown eyes had met green.

"That was an awesome show. But we'll see him again, bud," Hiccup said, rubbing Toothless' side. The dragon hummed in agreement.

 _Can't wait to eat his socks._

"Enough with the sock thing."  
 _What sandwich thing? Couldn't you tell I was hungry when I looked into his eyes?_

"I know you're hungry, so let's stop and get some fish. How about that?"

 _Oh yeah, sock time!  
_ "What is it with you and socks?"  
 _Why do they call them dragon flies when they don't even look like dragons?_

"… Let's just find a place to land and eat… And sleep."

A feeling of tired agreement filled Hiccup.

* * *

 **Chapter Notes:**

 **To help with possible confusion when Toothless speaks; Hiccup has ability to understand Toothless in a more connected way than mere language speaking. It is a mental connection that allows both to instantly tell where the other is, if they are in pain, need to use the bathroom, need a sandwich, and/or much more. They can emphasis certain feelings and emotions if they wish to convey a message better than words, or to annoy the other. It was a fun spell I created with some random spell effects.**

 **Every time Toothless speaks, I roll the dice. The better the roll, the more Hiccup can make sense of what Toothless says. The lower the roll, the more ridiculous the words. They are always complete sentences but don't always have to make sense with what is going on. A way to help with the awesome bond between human and dragon, and a hilarious dice roll result XD**

 **On the flip side, Toothless can understand Hiccup's spoken words perfectly. Reason being… I didn't want to come up with a better reason other than that the author(me) said so. Hey, I'm the DM so I can do what I want.**

 **For those of you who have read this story before, I basically kicked out Anna's story line. I had no idea of where to go to make it work. She may or may not show up later. As for what's happening next, yes, Jack and Elsa do take on the mind-flayers.**

 **The summary for the story mentioned another story line apart from the two I've already posted. That'll show up chapter after next**

 **Hope you guys enjoy! Let me know what you think! Good? Bad? Praise worthy? Nauseating? I hope not the last one…**

 **Till next time!**


	3. Session 3 - Path of Ice and Snow: Part 2

This world is full of adventure and danger.

Monsters and magic.

Angels and demons.

Kings and castles.

Dungeons and Dragons

Adventures thrive on what lies behind the next clearing of old trees, atop the summit of the icy mountain, around the corner of the dark cave.

Welcome to a world where anything can happen.

* * *

 **Path if Ice and Snow: Part 2**

Elsa had grown up in a grand palace where everything she needed had been available and ready on a moment's notice. Hair stylists, tailors, cooks, servants, and guards had been with her almost everywhere she went. The light had always been good, either during the day with the bright sun, or at night with plenty of candles and lanterns. The castle had been her home and her prison. She had lived there with her family, but she couldn't go anywhere else, not that she had wanted to, but still, the stone halls had lost their grandeur for her years ago. She had wanted to see what was beyond the gates for a long time. Until she had nearly killed her sister.

Fear.

A black fear like a chasm had nearly swallowed her as she held her sister's unmoving form in her trembling hands. Magic. She always had been able to use it. Bending snow and ice together like child's play. It had indeed been child's play, all those days spreading her ice around the room she and her sister shared. But she still had lost control, striking her sister, and nearly ended her life.

That day, Elsa had lost all desire for the outside world, all desire to have fun, all desire to live. Instead, she pushed herself to control to power in her hands, hold back the monster she knew she was. For what human could do what she did to her sister? Elsa had passed the coming years in a thick fog, a soup of grey thought stopping madness, punctuated by spikes of fear as sharp as the tips of the icicles she made with barely a gesture.

Then, he came into her life.

* * *

"What are mind-flayers?"

"Tall, purple skin, tentacles instead of chins, heads to big to fit into reason or sanity, and a tendency to eat brains of would-be adventures."

Elsa opened and closed her mouth a few times. She didn't know quite what to make of that statement. She didn't even know what to make of the state she was in. Sure, the idea of discovering what power lie dormant within her and also seeing what the outside world had to offer had sounded amazing. However, she hadn't anticipated this.

The entrance of the meteorite in the clearing lead to a cave like lobby of sorts where discarded bones, the occasional rat, and the foulest smell ever to enter Elsa's nose was held. She immediately gagged, covering her mouth and nose, trying to make sure the squeaking of the rats combined with that awful stench didn't throw her stomach into rebellion. Even Jack blanched at the sent.

"Sheesh," he muttered, coughing into his sleeve, "something tells me we aren't the first ones here." He pointed to the other side of the cave. With the little light from the stars shining through the entrance, Elsa couldn't make out what Jack was guesting too.

"I can't see a thing," she muttered, voice muffled by her hands still over her mouth. Jack flicked his staff and it started to glow a bright blue light. The illumination allowed Elsa to see something very nasty, most likely the cause of the smell.

On the far side of the cave, near an arched door that had been smashed to splinters, lay a figure in red and black robes. No, that wasn't red stitching in the fabric, that was blood soaked into the cloth. The head was a gory mess of pink and red. Elsa immediately looked away and focused on deep breaths through her mouth. The air was thick with some sour moisture making it almost as nauseating to breathe through her lips as it was her nose.

"Yeah," Jack muttered, slowly edging forward, eyes scanning the cave, "someone got here before us. Recently, too." Elsa stayed near the entrance as Jack crossed the black rock floor of the cave. It seemed to be bigger on the inside than Elsa had guessed from the outside.

Jack knelt before the body, inspecting the corpse. He lightly touched the tip of his staff to the cloak and nodded. He stood and looked at the broken door. His lips moved and Elsa caught a whisper of something from his lips. Wind blew in from the entrance and swirled around him and Elsa, carrying in fresh air, removing the smell and moist feeling. Elsa breathed out gratefully, removing her hands from her face, but still avoiding the morbid scene near Jack. She walked towards him, careful to keep her eyes down so as to watch her step.

"Rule one when entering an unknown and possible magical place," Jack said as Elsa walked up to him to peer through the broken door. It was pitch black beyond Jack's lighted staff. "Always assume that there are traps. Stay close." Elsa nodded, though Jack wasn't looking at her. Instead, he was focused on the corridor ahead. His eyes were a light with excitement and he was grinning.

Damn that grin.

They stepped into the darkness. Elsa stayed close to Jack as instructed, keeping a hand on his shoulder for guidance as well as comfort. The light from his staff seemed to give off a cold light, yet it was warm to Elsa, warmer than any candle or lantern she had used when she had stayed up late back at Arendelle Castle. This blue light helped her relax, but only a little.

The corridor was long, far longer than Elsa could believe. On and on they walked, Jack, holding out his staff, his other hand resting comfortably in the front pocket of his blue tunic. He seemed completely at ease. He was even humming to himself.

"Why are you humming?" Elsa's question didn't echo in the corridor.

"Huh?" Jack glanced back at Elsa, head titled as if he just remembering she was there.

"You're humming," Elsa replied. "Why?"

"Oh. Well, it's an old song that I sometimes put spells to. It makes them easy to remember." He shrugged. Elsa nodded, though she didn't know why. The man before her was such a mystery. He had appeared in her life, promising a chance to control her power. Control her fear. Yet, she hardly knew a thing about him.

"I don't know much about magic…" Elsa began slowly, trying not to look directly at his staff; the light was almost blinding if you tried to stare at it. "So… how does it work?"

Jack's shoulders started shaking. Snorting sounds came from his mouth.

"Did you just seriously ask me how magic works?" He sounded choked, as if he was trying not to burst into laughter.

"Yes," Elsa huffed, annoyed. "There were few books in the library on magic. The ones I did read only had folk tales and children's stories. My parents didn't want anything to do with magic so I really don't know anything."

"Sounds kind of stupid to me," Jack said nonchalantly, twirling his staff. The rotating light made Elsa's head hurt.

"Excuses me?" She snapped. Jack shrugged.

"Their daughter has the power of an ice demigod and they try to secluded her from all potentially helpful sources of magic and the outside world in a ridiculous hope that she might, somehow, on her own, figure out how to control said magic?" He glanced at her over his shoulder, face unimpressed.

"How dare you insult my parents?" Elsa hissed, the pressure in her hands building again. This time, she might just want to let it go on purpose. There was a tug on her. Elsa froze in place, her grip on Jack's shoulder tightening.

"If you want to 'let it go' on me, princess," Jack said, stopping so Elsa would pull him backwards, "you are more than welcome." He glanced over his shoulder again, grinning. "I mean, I did promise that I would help you control your power, right?" He reached up with his free hand and patted hers.

"Why?" Elsa asked, glaring. "Why are you helping me of all people?" Jack seemed to tense slightly at the words, and his grin faded.

"You are the only one who can see me," Jack said, a smaller smile on his face now. Elsa had seen that smile before. She saw it every time she practiced before a mirror. "I'm trapped in my own castle and you're the only one who can help me get out."

Elsa blinked. That wasn't what she had expected. The image she had in her head, the image of a younger man, one foot on her balcony railing, staff held to the sky as air flowed around him, his free hand stretched out to her. He was free. Those eyes were the same. Though they were almost always full of fun, freedom, and adventure, they also held a great deal of sadness. Most of it was hidden by the fun, but it was still there. So how did he smile?

"Let's keep going," Jack said, looking forward again. His hand fell away from hers. It had been warm. She started walking again, still holding onto Jack. A thought crossed her mind.

"You read my mind, didn't you?" She said accusingly. Jack shrugged sheepishly. "Please do not try again."

"Alight," Jack said, "but sometimes, it helps to know what you're thinking. You're good at hiding your emotions."

"That's for a reason," Elsa said quietly, clenching her fist at her side. "Its hard to control my powers when I'm not in control myself."

"Hate to break it to you, sweetheart, but letting go is the essence of using magic."

"Wait, what?"

"You had asked before how magic works, right? Well, I let what ever is holding me back inside go. I just let it loose and see what happens. At least, that's how I started it." Jack twirled his staff again, though he dimmed the light radiating from the wood. As it twirled, snowflakes danced around the edge, forming afterimage circular patterns of beautiful frost.

"I channel it into spells more than I control it to do as I please," Jack continued, the frost patters giving way to blue fire. The fire began to rippled, then changed to flower petals, then to full blossoms that opened and closed before fading away. "I was trying not to laugh before when you asked how magic worked. That was because I really don't know how it works. It is just there, a part of everyday life. So much so is it common that it almost seems natural. However…" Elsa stopped, the hand that had held onto Jack before was now holding empty air.

"Magic defies the natural." Elsa spun around. Jack stood behind her, staff on shoulder, grinning.

Damn that grin.

"How many spells do you know?" Elsa asked, amazed at what he could do.

"A bunch," he replied, walking in front of her again. She followed, but this time, didn't feel the need to grab onto his shoulder. "Not just for fun. I can dispel other magic if needs be, I can identify magical objects I don't know, I can detect magic if it's being use- "

He stopped short all of a sudden. Elsa stumbled, not stopping fast enough, and she tripped over Jack. He stepped to the side and caught her arm before she hit the floor. As she came close, she noticed a ripple in the stones close to where her free hand had been outstretched to catch herself.

Jack pulled her back upright, steading her with both hands.

"Watch yourself, princess," he said grinning. "I'm used to girls falling for me, but not like that."

Damn that grin.

Elsa huffed, straiting her leather tunic and folding her arms. Her hood had fallen down when she tripped and a few strands of her hair had come loose of her bun.

"Warn me before you stop next time," she said testily, trying to regain composure. With the unnerving setting she was in and the clothes she wore, it was harder than expected. The walls of the cave seemed more menacing for some reason.

"Pardon me, your highness," Jack said, bowing in a mocking matter. He paused slightly before straitening back up. He looked around them and nodded.

"Smart," he said, stepping up to the wall.

"What?" Elsa asked, feeling awkward trying to stand regal in her poor clothing and dark corridor.

"Our minds are being messed with," he said. Then he flicked his staff at the wall. There was a snap, like breaking class as web like cracks formed on the wall. They spread quickly until the corridor shattered.

Elsa screamed, falling to her knees and covering her head with her arms as glass like shards of rock fell towards her. She braced but nothing struck her. She looked up, and her jaw dropped.

"I was wondering why we had been walking for so long," Jack said, looking around and whistling in appreciation. "That was some psionic spell."

Jack and Elsa now stood, or knelt in Elsa's case, on a long stone bridge spanning a massive cavern. It was so tall and wide that Elsa couldn't see the ceiling or even see the end to either side of the bridge clearly. She slowly stood up, looking around in wonder. On the walls she could see, crystals stuck out of the black stone at random places, some clusters larger than others. Each crystal shown with a rainbow radiance that filled what Elsa could see of the cavern with beautiful light refractions.

"So, the meteorite at the entrance was the beginning," Jack mused. "Entering in cast the spell, and we'd walk into oblivion, not knowing that we stuck in one place." He flicked his staff again and it stopped glowing. He pointed it to one side of the bridge. Elsa followed the gesture and blinked in surprise. The bridge went on for a long way that way, before coming to the base of a long flight of stone steps, spiraling upwards into the darkness.

"This is no den of mind-flayers," Jack said, shaking his head. "We are in the Cave of Answers, but there are some of them brain suckers here." He spun his staff around and pointed the other way. Elsa turned and her throat caught.

A distance down the other side of the bridge, a group of a half dozen robbed and hooded figures stood. Their black cloaks matched the one of the creatures they had seen at the entrance. Or had they seen one of them? Elsa shook her head, feeling dizzy.

"If you are confused," Jack said, casually leaning against the railing of the bridge and peering over the edge, "the one we saw before was real. I had mentioned traps before, right?" He leaned farther over the edge, far enough to make Elsa nervous; the railing only came up to his hips. "One of the poor brain suckers had his own brain sucked out." He grinned. "With a heavy rock that is."

"Uh, Jack?" Elsa asked, rising unsteadily to her feet. The wonder of the cavern was becoming lost as the figures still far away on the bridge began walking towards them. A light flashed near one the figures. It became steady and began to grow.

"You might want to move," Jack said lazily, turning back to Elsa, still leaning against the railing. "That's a fire ball. They kind of hurt."

"What?!" How could he be so casual about this? "What do I do?"

"Step to the side," Jack said dismissively, waving a hand in her direction, "use your magic stop it, cower down and hope they miss. It's up to you." Elsa gaped at him. He wasn't even paying attention at all! That little…

She looked back at the glowing, and fast approaching, ball of light. Elsa panicked. She flung her hands up in front of her, and the pressure in her hands burst. Her eyes were shut tight, but she felt a rush of cold around her. Then a small snap.

Silence.

"An instinctive wall of ice spell, huh? And a defensive addition on top of that? If I hadn't be faster, I would have been skewered."

She cracked one of her eyes, then both opened wide with shock. She could no longer see the mind-flayers or Jack. Both were blocked by a massive slab of ice, easily over thirty feet tall, covered completely in razor sharp icicles. It blocked the way to the other side of the bridge completely, spreading over the sides of the stone walkway, making the bridge now completely impassible. Mist slowly drifted away from the base.

"Even so," Jack's voice said, sounding a bit disgruntled. "Could you please get me out?"

"Wait, what?" Elsa asked, looking around. Jack's voice had come from in front of her.

"What do you mean what? I'm right here. I'd wave by my arms, but both are stuck in the ice, thank you very much." Elsa stood shakily, the temperature was much lower, though she didn't mind at all. Having grown up in an isolated room with volatile ice magic made chilly rooms a thing of norm for her.

"I can't see you," Elsa said, turning in a full circle.

"You can't see…" Jack trailed off, voice almost cracking. Elsa turned towards the sound. Yes, it was coming from the wall of ice. Yet Jack was no where in sight. Elsa narrowed her eyes.

"Jack?"

"You… can't…" Elsa locked onto the source. There was a small hole, about as big as a man's head, in the wall of ice. The sharp icicles had grown no where near the hole, as if giving it some space. Elsa stepped forward, reaching out with her hand towards the hole. She touched something that didn't feel like ice about an inch before the hole.

"Ow!" Elsa jumped back, jerking her hand away. The feeling had been so weird. "You didn't need to grab my face you know!" Elsa's jaw dropped. Jack was invisible, and half frozen in the wall.

"What?" Jack's voice asked. "Is there something on my face?" Elsa reached forward slowly.

"I can hear you," Elsa said softly, "but I can't see you." Her hand reach for the top of the hole and, as she inched closer, she felt hair. It was very soft. "You're just invisible."

"Nothing new to me," Jack grumbled. "Why are you patting my hair?" Elsa pulled her hand back, blushing slightly.

"Why did you turn invisible?" Elsa asked.

"I didn't," Jack said, still sounding troubled. "At least, not on… purpose…" He trailed off again, then sighed. "Give me a second." A grunt, then Jack appeared. His head fit perfectly into the whole, the rest of his body hidden by ice.

 _You feel familiar._

Elsa frowned and Jack's eyes widened.

"Did you say something?" Elsa asked, cocking her head.

"Elsa, run," Jack hissed, jaw clenching.

"What?"

"Run!" Jack shouted, straining in his ice prison.

 _Too late for that, thief. I already have her._

Everything went black.

* * *

"No!" Jack shouted, tugging on his arms. They didn't even budge. His fingers were trapped around the wood of the staff. His feet frozen to the ground. He was completely trapped. Elsa's magic had been far stronger than he had imagined.

 _Even the fabled Chaos Magic dwelt within her,_ he thought. But Jack pushed that out of his mind. He had to move now! Elsa was in serious danger! She-

 _By the Midnight Eye! It really is you!_ The voice was rasping but unmistakable.

A shadow passed over them, Jack stuck in the ice, Elsa standing there, eyes open wide, face blank. Jack looked upward, but couldn't see much being unable to move his head. He didn't need to though.

"Shathos," Jack snarled, as the shadow passed by. Two figures landed behind Elsa, as if they had jumped from the top of the wall. Their black robes were covered with frost, and breathy mist poured out from beneath their dark hoods. Something else stirred within that darkness.

 _Jack_ , the voice said again, echoing in Jack's mind. _I had really hoped it would be you._

"You were waiting for us?" Jack asked, trying to calm himself. He took a deep breath and grinned. He needed to buy time. Elsa's life depended on it. So did his own, but that didn't matter so much at the moment.

 _Obviously._ One of the figures stepped up beside Elsa and Jack could see deep black eyes glittering beneath the hood.

"Figured as much," Jack said, attempting to shrug but failing. "I mean, I could smell your breath from the entrance." The figure, Shathos, stiffened.

 _Silence, stupid boy._

"I'm older than you, yet you could be my first ancestor."

 _That's is false. I was born a hundred years ago, welp._

"I still have two hundred on you then. Not that you could tell." Shathos almost recoiled in shock, but held his position. Yet, Jack could tell the mind-flayer was getting angry.

 _Yet I was able to trap the great wizard, Jack Frost. Being old means nothing when you are a fool._

"Excuse me?" Jack said, sounding mockingly offended. "She is the one who cast the spell. Only two of you came over the wall? Wow, to have so many powerful and all-knowing ilithids dropped by a novice."

 _Shut your mouth!_ This was a different voice, higher pitched and seething with rage. The other mind-flayer stepped up, a clawed and purple hand emerging from the sleeve of the cloak. It held a silvery dagger. He placed the dagger on Elsa's throat and Jack tensed. _One more peep out of your traitorous mouth and this puny human girl is no more!_

 _Enough Urelik,_ Shathos' deeper voice boomed. _We can use her power! Do not harm her!_

"I knew it!" Jack said, wishing his free hand was open to point. "You are just angry you got schooled by a girl less than half your age!" Urelik's hand holding the dagger was shaking in rage.

 _I'll cut out your tongue, worm!_ He stepped forward, lowering his hood. Four slimy purple tentacles writhed in fury below two deep set black eyes topped by a bulbous head. The mind-flayers, or ilithids, were a very nasty race indeed.

 _And so easy to piss off,_ Jack thought, still grinning as Urelik, raised the dagger, prepared to slash it down. _It'll buy Elsa some time_ , _but this might hurt a bit._

" _NO!"_

Two screams echoed. One in Jack's mind, the other in the open cavern. One was Shathos' reaching a hand towards Urelik. The other was Elsa. The knife, meant to slash down Jack's face, bit into Elsa's arm. Shathos' hand, meant to grab Elsa's tunic and pull her back, gripped Urelik's stunned body as Elsa shoved him backwards.

Elsa stumbled forward, gasping as Urelik's dagger was pulled from her arm, still clutched in the illithid's purple hand. Her blood sprayed across Jack's face and he gaped. She slummed against the ice wall, whimpering in pain and clutching her arm. Jack slowly closed his mouth, Shathos' angry voice berating his companion a distance sound. He only her Elsa's whimper. And the whimper of another girl sounded in his ears, a girl too far away for Jack to reach.

 _Never…_

Her blood was slowly dripping from limp fingers.

 _Never…_

Her blood had stopped flowing over a century ago.

"NEVER AGAIN!"

Ice cracked, the mind-flayers stopped arguing. Jack clenched his fingers around the staff, his bane, his curse.

His _power_.

* * *

 _You are mine now, girl. Mine to command and control. Your power is at my fingertips. Because you are mine, you are now his. Your life is his. Your body is his. You will bring about my Master's wishes and dreams. Sleep now, little girl. Rejoice. Your mind is no longer your own, but belongs to one far greater than even the gods above and the demons below._

Jack was going to be hurt. A flash of silver and purple towards a grin, that damn grin. She still needed that grin. So, she simply reached out, and knocked the silver and purple aside with her arm. That made it go red.

Elsa blinked bleary eyes, mind a haze as fire burned her arm. Fire? Where did it come from? What was that cracking? Why was it so windy underground? Where… where… where was all this power coming from? She struggled to clear her thoughts and focus her eyes. She then froze, unable to move as she saw where this power, this pressure far greater than she had ever felt, was coming from.

Her ice wall had shattered, bursting apart into hundreds of chunks, shards, and icicles. They spun and swirled around a figure in blue, tunic and hair rippling in the wind. His staff bled black smoke into the air as he raised it. He lifted off the ground, rising into the air in the middle of a cyclone of ice. His face was as the ice itself; cold, hard, and unforgiving.

Inhuman screams echoed with the wind. Elsa turned to look at the two black figures, now scrambling way from that storm of coldness. Jack brought his staff down. The wind changed direction, the ice following with blinding speed. A spectacular sound of ice cracking like thunder assaulted Elsa's ears. She cowered down, covering her head with her arms, the fire on her arm now seeming insignificant before the storm.

The sound died almost as soon as it had started. The wind slowed, and everything fell still. Elsa slowly raised her head, arms trembling. Jack stood on the now clear bridge, face impassive. His staff was no longer smoking, but was coated with frost. All the ice Elsa had created was gone. The mind-flayers were gone. It was just Jack, Elsa, and a very frosty bridge.

Snow fell lightly from the ceiling, dusting Jack's hair and tunic as he walked over. With a flick of his staff, frost sparked across the stone bridge and coated Elsa's arm. She looked down at it and noticed that it was now covered with frozen blood.

"That's the best I can do for now," Jack said, lifting his staff and resting it on his shoulder. "Healing isn't my forte." Elsa stared at him wide-eyed. She hardly knew anything about magic, or what she could do. But Jack's spectacle had made Elsa's ice wall look like child's play.

"I try to avoid using this thing," Jack said, tapping his head against his staff. "Makes me feel…" He shuddered. "I just don't like it." He shook his head, a kinder smile forming on his face. "If you want to go back home, I can take you."

"What?" Elsa asked, still on her knees.

"That," Jack said, gesturing to where the mind-flayers had been, "is what it's like out here. Maybe not that extreme all the time, but close enough. It's very dangerous to adventure. I won't blame you if you want to go home now." Elsa opened her mouth but hesitated.

That whole experience had been… So…

"Exhilarating," she breathed, looking down at her hands.

"What?" Jack asked, confused. Elsa's vision began to blur. She blinked and something warm and wet fell on her hands. Tears? She looked up at Jack and he frowned at her.

"That was amazing, Jack. So terrifying… but so… just… so amazing. I can't go home after this." Jack grinned. Maybe she didn't want to damn that grin anymore. After all, it meant more adventure for her.

"Well then, princess," he said offering a hand. "Your adventure has only just begun." She wiped her eyes, smiled, and took his hand as he pulled her up. She immediately gasped, pulling away. Without support, she promptly fell back onto her rump. It wasn't a soft-landing either.

"Ow…" She muttered, cradling her arm while her backside throbbed. "Maybe not so amazing." Jack burst into laughter. He doubled over, clutching her stomach and Elsa glared at him. "Care to help a lady up properly this time?" She sniffed. That made Jack laugh even harder. He almost fell over, but he never dropped his staff.

"Elsa…" Jack wheezed, "you are making my life very interesting." He giggled a bit more before controlling himself again, if that were ever possible, then helped her up, taking her uninjured arm. "The Cave of Answers is just on the other side of the bridge," Jack said, taking on a very formal tone and straightening. He offered his elbow. "May I accompany you, your highness?" Elsa shook her head, but took his arm anyway, hiding a smile.

Maybe she wouldn't fall over again as they crossed the bridge; her knees were still shaking. Neither she nor Jack noticed a ripped and tattered black cloak silently fleeing in the opposite direction.

* * *

 **Notes:**

 **A prime example of having no idea as to what can happen. I didn't think it would end that fast honestly. Almost every single event happened when the dice rolled. Elsa's magic is basically uncontrollable at this point in the story and hopefully that will change later. Poor Jack won't be getting stuck in ice then. Ironic that he did, right? Or… ice-ronic? Okay, that was lame…**

 **I also gave Elsa something called Chaos Magic. I'm using 5** **th** **edition rules here. I have given Elsa the basic rules of a sorcerer but tweaked them a bit because I am the DM and the author so, ha. Anywho, a sorcerer can become a Chaos Mage. When using spells, they need to roll for a random effect on a table in the Player's Handbook. I rolled that anyone within 30ft of Elsa would become invisible until they attacked or cast a spell. So… Jack became invisible until he cast a small spell to set himself free.**

 **If you hadn't noticed, Jack is freaking powerful. The staff is a reason why and will be explained later. Plot device and all. Elsa is also uber powerful, but as said before, has no control. There is a reason for them being so powerful this early.**

 **All of the main characters will be powerful in their own way. That is because of one single fact.**

 **ANYONE CAN DIE!  
In the instance Elsa's arm was stabbed with the knife, if the dice roll had been different, it could have gone into her side, her neck, or even her head. Luckily, it was just her arm. Seriously, if the dice says that Jack takes a fatal blow or Elsa can't get out of the way in time, they will die. If not, then they go on, but the danger will always be there. I really don't want them to die as that would mean either the end of the story or I'd have to find a new way to continue. That sounds hard, and I also want jack and Elsa to end up happy together cause I'm a stupid hapless romantic… I should stop rambling.**

 **On another note, there will be a lot of action, most of it uncoordinated and odd because of dice rolls. That is the essence of a DnD campaign. Of course, I'll try and not have action every chapter/session (see what I did there?) But this is going to involve a lot more action than most romance fics.**

 **I'll try to keep it T rated so if you feel it's too violent or I cuss too much for T rating, then let me know please.**

 **To answer questions/requests: Anna will only be mentioned on the side or in flashback if needs be. She will not have a part in the main story. Merida definitely will show up. In the next chapter/session (I love it when I get clever) Rapunzel… I don't have any plans for her yet. I don't have plans on how to end this either. One campaign I played went on and on and on. New enemies and big shot bad guys left and right but I'll try to make sure there is one big final bad boy. Try saying that five times fast.**

 **What did you guys think? How was the action? Any more questions? Requests? Do I make this end notes too long?**

 **Till the next session!**

 **Did you know that, in DnD, there are more than just werewolves? There are also weretigers, wererats, wereboars, and werebears!**

 **Werebears, huh? Sounds like the strength of ten me to me! *wink, wink***


	4. Session 4 -Path of the Conquered: Part 1

This world is full of adventure and danger.

Monsters and magic.

Angels and demons.

Kings and castles.

Dungeons and Dragons

Adventures thrive on what lies behind the next clearing of old trees, atop the summit of the icy mountain, around the corner of the dark cave.

Welcome to a world where anything can happen.

* * *

 **Path of the Conquered: Part 1**

 _Tap-tap-tap-tap…_

 _Tap-tap-tap-tap…_

 _Tap-tap-tap-tap…_

The moon was high in the night sky, bathing the forests near the still smoking ruins of DunBroch in a pail blue light. Two wagons guarded by seventeen or so men dressed in kilts trudged along, some yawning, others slouching as they marched. They had been at it all day, and now well into the night.

 _Tap-tap-tap-tap…_

 _Tap-tap-tap-tap…_

 _Tap-tap-tap-tap…_

Wagon wheels creaked a and groaned as they rolled. Dirt crunched under the boots of the men. Their heavy weapons made arms sore. Shields nearly dragged on the ground, hanging from tired limbs. The horses hitched to the wagons clopped along with heads lowered, just as exhausted as the man.

 _Tap-tap-tap-tap…_

 _Tap-tap-tap-tap…_

 _Tap-tap-tap-tap…_

"Will you knock that off?" One of the men snapped, glaring at the back of the second wagon. The tapping paused, then resumed. The men groaned. It was something they had to put up with. Escorting Princess Merida was supposed to be a pleasure. Yet, the blasted woman had stayed almost the entire trip inside her wagon, tapping away with her sword.

The tapping was a steady beat, quick each time, but always the same. That made it pretty easy for the arrow flying from the trees to find its target. The hiss was almost imperceptible to the men outside the wagon. But they heard the meaty smack of the arrow striking true and the they definitely caught the scream of pain. High pitched, feminine, almost inhuman with its shrillness.

"Ambush!"

The call left the captain's mouth just before another arrow replaced the words. Shields came up half a second too late as a hail of black thorns fell from the sky. Men screamed, yet those cries could not eclipse the first shriek of agony. Seventeen men had stood before the flight of death had fallen, now only six remained, half of them nursing arrow wounds.

"Fall in!" The second-in-command lieutenant bellowed, his reflexes better than his comrades'. He had just barely managed to fend off the arrows, most others weren't so lucky. But the ones left alive testified of their bravery as they surrounded the wagon, shields up, holding as tight a formation as they could with so few. The screaming from the wagon slowly faded, a soft thump sounding from the wagon.

"Brave." The lieutenant spun on the voice. Behind the second wagon, a dark figured, hooded and cloaked and almost invisible in the darkness was walking forward. A bow was held up and read. The lieutenant raised his shield, placing his blade on the rim.

"You there!" the lieutenant bellowed, narrowing his eyes, "How dare you attack Lady-" His voice cut off as soon as the arrow passed the edge of his shield by a hair's breath and flew straight into his eye. He crumped, armor and shield clamoring to the ground. The other five men gasped, staggering back. Before they knew it, three more had fallen, arrows sprouting from their necks. They never even heard the twang of the bow strong.

The final two dropped to their knees, shields placed on the ground. They felt the arrows meant for them clang from the metal.

"Very brave." The voice was coming closer. One soldier chanced a peek over his shield. The figure then drove a dagger into his face. He fell back, screaming as the other man, thrust upward. His blow was knocked aside by the dagger, the figure in black a confusing blur. He gasped as heat filled his throat and mouth. He stared up into the hood of death itself. He frowned as he saw a great deal of red curly hair framing a young woman's face. He fell forward, head barely connected to his neck.

"Very stupid."

The figure wiped the blood clean of the dagger then sheathed it, all in one smooth motion. She reached up, lowering her hood. The red hair spilled around her, like the blood in the dirt. Her face was impassive, but her eyes held a storm of emotions that few could see. She reached up and pulled the wagon cover back to see inside.

A sword was thrust from the inside just as Merida opened the flap. It sliced across her cheek, and she stumbled back, tripping over the corpses behind her. A high-pitched giggle came from inside the wagon.

"Thought you got me, girlie?" The flap was thrown completely aside as a very thin woman with red curly hair, slowly fading to bleach white, leaped out of the tent, sword held up to bring it down through Merida's chest. Metal struck metal as Merida's dagger deflected the blow. The thin woman still landed directly on Merida's chest, driving the air from her lungs.

"That hurt, you know!" Lady Hix, the Many-Faced, sneered, her eyes slowly fading from blue to orange. The changeling brought her sword up again to drive it home. Before she could, Merida drove her dagger into Hix's belly. The shriek nearly shattered Merida's eardrums, but she shook to woman off, then rolled backwards, over the corpses. She came up, tossing her dagger aside and drawing her own sword. Before her, Hix pulled the dagger free, hissing in pain. Blood now stained what once had been a very nice forest green dress.

"I really liked this dress," Hix cursed, snarling at Merida with pale skin.

"Then ye already failed tae imitate me, bitch," Merida snarled right back. "Aye always hated th' blasted things."

Hix shriek again, and lunged forward. She had some skill, but she was nothing compared to the woman she was trying to pose as. She realized that as Merida's blade, reflecting the moonlight through the trees, passed her own. Her sword hand fell first, followed by the clanging of her weapon and another flash. Next, her other arm thumped to the ground. Finally, her head, rolling away, the white hair again going red, though not from Hix's abilities.

"Ah 'ate changelings," Merida spat, sheathing her blade. She grimaced then, feeling a pain on her cheek where Hix had cut her earlier. She cursed, but ignored the pain, instead beginning her least favorite part. The men she had killed now looked as they should; stark white hair, orange eyes, and pale skin. They had all been changelings, creatures with the ability to look exactly like another. Tonight, they had planned on riding to the Conqueror's main camp to surrender in Merida's name. Her three devilish brothers had heard of the plan not a day ago and Merida had thwarted it just in time.

After searching the last body, Merida stepped away from the morbid scene she herself had created. Even if they weren't human, seeing the lifeless eyes… Merida took a shuddering breath as she passed the men, wearing the clothing of her people, now all but dead. As she came to Hix's head, the pit vanished from Merida. She sneered at the changeling's blank face and spat to the side.

The damn monster had been a thorn in Merida's side long before her kingdom fell. Now she was dead. Yet, Merida still felt like a failure. She had been able to end the monster's plans and schemes here, but hadn't been able to prevent… hadn't been able to stop…

"Ah," Merida said, voice catching on the lump forming in her throat. She quickly moved away, wiping the blurriness from her eyes. For a moment there, she had sworn the changeling's face had looked like her father's. After all, both had been killed by Merida's blade and bow.

A growl from the woods met Merida as she stepped off the path. She looked up into a single glittering black eye and a snarl of teeth.

"Back off, wid ya," Merida snapped, moving past the black bear's almost disgruntled look. "Ah didn't die, na need tae get ya tail in a twist." The bear snorted and bumped Merida with a massive rump as she passed. "Why are ye a bear tonight, eh? Some extra support would hae been helpful."

The bear growled, then stood back on its hind legs. As it did, the black fur began to fade, as if retracting into the skin. Shoulder shrank, the snout contracted, and the massive bear slowly gave way to a tall and equally massively built man. A thick black beard and shaggy midnight hair hid his most of his features. Scars lined his chest; his back was wrapped in furs matching his previous form. Mor'du was intimidating whether as a bear or a man. Especially when he went from having teeth and claws to wielding a battle ax capable of splitting full-grown tress with a casual swing.

"That wasn't the plan, though." His was void of the accent Merida had, yet was so deep, it was still hard to understand sometimes. "You wanted to take this on yourself, girl."

"Girl?" Merida asked, hands on hips, "No lassie can do what ah just did, shaggs." Mor'du grunted in agreement, though ignored Merida's jibe at his serious need for a haircut.

"Don't blame me for no support when you wanted to tackle this mission on your own."

"It was personal."

"That won't stop a sword."

"Bit it would murder my pride."

They glared at each other. Well… Mor'du was always glaring… and so was Merida. So, they just basically looked at each other before moving on through the woods. An understand had passed between them. It usually happened like that; an event would occur, typically with a wound or two afterwards, and they would say a few things and understand. Both of them liked it that way.

 _Th' fewer words, th' better,_ Merida thought, shouldering her bow as they trudged on. It would be a few hard days of travel before they would even find the nearest free settlement. The Conqueror's reach had extended far. Far enough to make bitter enemies join sides against the clearly stronger foe.

* * *

 **So yeah, I remember when I restarted this story. It had been over a month since I had updated back then. Now it's been close to three. Sorry about that, I just haven't given time to writing recently. But I was called to by the tapping of my keyboard. Now, we have a Merida session. What'd you guys think?**

 **Everything is still done by the roll of the dice, even the very strange alliance revealed at the end of the chapter. I personally was surprised when that result came up, but it just makes it that much interesting… hehehe**

 **The Conqueror mentioned will make an appearance later, probably the next time Merida steps up to the table. He is a big bad boy, like I mentioned last time. Hehehe… can't wait!**

 **Anywho, I'm pretty sure it's going back to Jack and Elsa next session. Idk how Hiccup is doing quite yet. He is about to get himself in a very deadly bind. But Jack and Elsa? Well… some questions might be answered… maybe a few more monsters will appear. Who knows?**

 **This is a world where anything can happen, after all**

 **PS: I used a Scottish translator with Merida's words, though I didn't do it directly. I'll leave it up to you guys whether or not you want me to keep that up. Just let me know**


	5. Session 5 - Path of Beasts: Part 2

This world is full of adventure and danger.

Monsters and magic.

Angels and demons.

Kings and castles.

Dungeons and Dragons

Adventures thrive on what lies behind the next clearing of old trees, atop the summit of the icy mountain, around the corner of the dark cave.

Welcome to a world where anything can happen.

* * *

 **Path of Beasts: Part 2**

Oh yeah, the gods definitely hated him. How many times did he think that now? Too many to be reasonable. This was really unhealthy thinking. Then again, most things that he did or that happened to him were considered very unhealthy. Like bonding with a dragon soul, getting his leg bitten off by said dragon, then stabbing the madman who had forced Hiccup into this whole situation.

Unhealthy indeed. And it just kept on happening! Like right now, for instance.

"We've had better landings," Hiccup said, groaning slightly.

 _A good cup of steaming broth sounds good for my nostrils._ Hiccup blinked, letting his arms go limp and falling back below his head. He cocked his head as best he could, staring down at Toothless with an expression he had used so often, he feared it would become a permanent fixture on his face.

 _What?_

"Nothing," Hiccup muttered, looking back down, or back up, at his leg. The shorter one. The one missing flesh, bone, and blood just below his knee. The peg-leg. The one currently stuck in between two annoyingly thick branches of a white bark tree.

 _Too many pointers and hints about what happened,_ Toothless said, licking his foreleg and rubbing his nose. _You should just out right think what happened. It'll confuse the readers less_.

"Wha-what readers?" Hiccup grunted, straining to reach his leg. He took fistfuls of his pants, clawing his way closer and closer until… come on… There! "Ha!" Hiccup exclaimed, grabbing hold of one of the tree branches. "Got… got you now!"  
 _Great. Awesome. What now?_ Toothless had a curious look on his face. He settled back on his haunches, almost as if his partner was a very entertaining show. That stung Hiccup a bit, but he was used to it. Back home, he had often been entertainment for those whose boredom rose quickly. Only she-

"A little help here, bud?" Hiccup said, shoving thoughts aside with words. Now as not the time to be distracted.

 _Who would you like me to eat?_

"There is no one else here other than me!"

 _Not my fault we missed broth night._

"Could you, I don't know, hop up here and pull me out?"

 _My nostrils need a good scrubbing._

"…Thank you for nothing, you useless reptile."

 _Useless?_

"Yes," Hiccup said, grunting again. He placed his free good foot against the tree trunk and braced. "Very, very useless." He heaved, pulling on his fake leg while pushing against the tree. He strained, hissing out a breath, putting everything he had into this one goal. Nothing happened.

 _Do you need help?_

"No."

 _You look like you need help._

"No… no, I do… not!" He was getting absolutely nowhere. Hiccup groaned, going limp again, flopping down like a limp fish. "Please help." He couldn't even glare at the Night Furry; he just wanted to be out of this damned tree. Toothless warbled and sat a little higher up, practically standing on his hind legs.

"How are you going to…" Hiccup began. Then he felt the heat build in his chest at the same time Toothless opened his maw to reveal green gas. "Oh no." There was pop, a flash, and Hiccup fell from the tree. He hit the ground hard, the air rushing from his lungs. He gasped, and bounced back slightly, curling into a ball.

"Ow…" He wheezed, trying unsuccessfully to bring air back into his chest. Toothless stood protectively over him, shielding him from possible falling branches.

After a minute or so, Hiccup sat up, surveying both his leg and the tree. If not for the scales on his good leg, he'd need a second artificial limb. His gimp wasn't so bad, just a little singled, a small part of his pants smoldering, but all in all, nothing was injured. The tree, on the hand hand, was not doing so well. Usually, trees didn't look all that well after being blasted with something powerful enough to punch through metal. Most of the top half was gone, the other part was burning, leaves falling with the embers. The white bark was now black, and the trunk had near split in two.

How was my aim?

"Really good, actually," Hiccup said, nodding as he stood, Toothless supporting him. "But we could have done something a little more… discrete."

 _You spelt that wrong._

"What?"

 _You said discrete. You should have said discreet._

"It's the same word."

 _No, it isn't. The placement of the 't' makes all the difference._

"Pardon me, mister smarty scales. I was unaware you were a master scholar."

 _I know the language of men from you, smolder pants._

"And who's fault is it my pants are shouldering?"

 _Judging by the trajectory of the moon, stars, and far-off sun, probably the undead nearby._

"The what?"

 _The undead. Over there. About… a shorter than good distance away?_

"Very specific." Toothless didn't point or nod his head. He didn't need to. Hiccup stepped mentally further into his draconic side, letting the heightened sense of smell wash over him. It was unmistakable; rotten flesh and body odor.

"How many?" Hiccup asked, steeping out of Toothless' sense of smell and reaching for Inferno, which should have been belted on his back.  
 _Don't know._ The dragon almost shrugged, shifting his weight from paw to paw. He then tensed, sensing fear and disbelief from Hiccup. _What?_

"I think we lost Inferno."

 _Well shit. My nostrils still need scrubbing._

* * *

This was all his fault. Only he could haul up this much trouble. No one else even had the potential to do so! That was saying a lot considering that the others included Snotlout, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, Daguar, and Fishlegs. Together, they made quite a troublesome group in Berk. She rarely joined them in their 'endeavors.' They were the same age as she, so she just sort of stuck around them, posing as a distant, strong, silent type.

The exact opposite of him. Where she had been strong, proud, and confidant, he was weak, lowly, and fearful. Where she had been popular and looked up to, he was disliked and practically ignored. She rarely felt pity for the boy.

That is, until he had showed her up.

Again.

And again.

And again.

It was not possible. There was not conceivable way that such a wimpy and pathetic weakling could stand up to dragons. No, there was no way he was able to do what he did. But, for some unknown, absolutely frustrating reason, as if out of the blue, he was doing it. Soon, he was looked up to; she was ignored. He was confidant; she lost her cool. Who could blame her? He was just some upstart who didn't belong. She had sworn to discover his secret. He was cheating somehow. No one could get as good as he was. Especially him.

One day, she did discover his secret. So did another boy who had been angry at Hiccup's sudden skill. Now that boy was dead, killed by the wimp. By that outcast. By that failure.

Of course, being the idiot he was, Hiccup left without another word. By the same reasoning, that made Astrid and idiot too then because she had followed him. Why would she even want him back? With him gone, she'd be the best again. She'd be back where she wanted to be. She would miss the boy who had saved her life.

The image of him, standing above a bloody corpse, head bowed as if the weight of the world sat on his shoulders, had been seared into her memory. It burned like the dragon fire he had left behind so she wouldn't freeze in that cave. She hadn't even been able to thank him. So, it was her own foolishness that lead her to pack up, take a boat, and set sail in the dead of night. If anything, her plan had been to haul Hiccup back by his scrawny neck and prove him innocent.

Her plan had definitely did not include near death at sea, needing to be saved by pirates, and then becoming their captive when they landed ashore the mainland. On the bright side, she and the pirates were after the same person. On the down side, she and the pirates were after the same person.

Her captor, Eret, son of Eret, smelt really, really bad.

* * *

 **I beg pardon for Hiccup's being so short. His arc will be short. Pardon me, his 'shared arc.**

 **Just a reminder, the italicized text is Toothless' thoughts towards Hiccup. I roll the dice each time he 'speaks.' The better the role, the more intelligible it is. Breaking the fourth wall via unconventional dragon communication is fun**

 **I can honestly say that you guys are amazing! I'm super busy atm. Work has been taking up practically all of my time hence the few and far between chapters. Once again, pardon for the shortness. However, I felt super inspired and warmed by your reviews so I'll treat you guys to some answers! Yay! I'll try and keep the answers to 'clearing things up' and not 'spoil awesome plotlines.' I'll share some character classes and unique skills so that things may make more sense.**

 **Jack Frost: Wizard – master of the arcane arts, uses magic via books, wands, staffs and scrolls. He holds a small number of magical items, one of which is his hooked staff. It is a very powerful tool that will be elaborated next session**

 **Elsa: Sorcerer – another master of the arcane arts. However, the magic she wields does not come from items, but within herself. She is limited in the variety of magic she can use opposed to Jack and other wizards, yet she can pack one hell of a good punch. She has no magical items… yet *not at all evil cackle***

 **Merida: Ranger – where sorcerers and wizards are at home with magic, rangers are at home with the great outdoors. Nature is Merida's call, hunting is her trade, martial arts and weapon skills she uses instead of incantations and enchantments. Merida is a higher-level ranger, meaning she is super good at what she does. Read the last chapter again to figure out what that is. She has an animal 'companion' in the form of Mor'du.**

 **Mor'du: Fighter – a soldier, a mercenary, a king, a guard. All what a fighter can be. Professionals with blades and bows, spears and swords; they know what to do with almost any weapon they pick up. Mor'du has another thing going for him. He is a werebear. Similar to werewolves, except a bear instead…. That's the only difference really… So, good with big ax? Check. Strong as ten men? Check. Need of a serious haircut? Check. But only Merida can tell him that.**

 **Hiccup: ? – he has an unparalleled connection with his dragon, the Night Furry, Toothless. As to the true nature of that connection… I'll wait to share the DnD name for it. But Hiccup is no pushover. Instead of looking at him in the first movie, look at him like he is in the second film. He is still clumsy awkward with everything and he's good at hiding that he's actually quite the badass. I have some fun fights planned for him in the future…**

 **I hope that helps a bit! Backgrounds, character meetings, and crossovers will be revealed/will happen, as the story progresses. Let's all just hope that I pay more attention to it.**

 **Laters!**


	6. Session 6 - Path of Ice and Snow: Part 3

This world is full of adventure and danger.

Monsters and magic.

Angels and demons.

Kings and castles.

Dungeons and Dragons

Adventures thrive on what lies behind the next clearing of old trees, atop the summit of the icy mountain, around the corner of the dark cave.

Welcome to a world where anything can happen.

* * *

 **Path of Ice and Snow: Part 3**

At the far end of the bridge, a stone door sat, open wide to reveal the contents of a small room. Jack twirled his staff as he and Elsa stepped inside. Elsa spun around, staring open mouthed at the beauty. Every inch of the room was coated in crystals, glittering and shining. There was a hole in the ceiling and white light fell into the center of the room, highlighting a wooden dais that rose a few feet from the stone, covered with intricate markings. A crystal bigger than Elsa's torso sat on the dais, reflecting the light from the hole in the ceiling.

"Woah," Elsa said. Her mouth stayed open and Jack chuckled.

"I said the same thing." He pointed his staff at the crystal. "Go ahead." Elsa closed her mouth and looked between Jack and the crystal.

"I'm supposed to talk to the crystal?" She asked and Jack grinned.

"Not exactly," he said, pointing up at the hole in the ceiling. "You ask the Man in the Moon."

"The… man on the moon?"

"Man _in_ the Moon," Jack corrected, his smile widening at Elsa's face. "He answers you through this cave. If you focus, I'm sure you can feel the magic here." Elsa frowned, then her eyes went wide again. All around her, something flowed. An invisible river of light coursing through the stone walls and floor, up across the celling and down to her feet again.

"Amazing," she said. She took a deep breath then stepped up to the crystal. Her mouth opened and closed a few times before she turned back to Jack. "What should I ask?"

"All I want to know is how to break this curse," Jack said, "I don't know how it works so maybe you can ask how to break it or something. That's my only request. The other two questions are for you." Elsa nodded, before turning back to face the crystal again. She took a second deep breath, trying calm herself. Why was she even nervous? It was just a crystal cave.

"How do I break the curse on Jack?" Elsa asked, facing the crystal. Her voice echoed more times than it should have. Her words seemed to resonate with the crystal. It seemed to hum, absorbing the sound. The hummin grew.

" _An ancient force resides in the staff."_ Elsa jumped. It sounded like her own voice had spoke from the crystal. _"A dark and shadowy power holds his soul from sight. Melt the shadows and light will fall upon the Wizard of Ice."_

Silence filled the cave as Elsa stared open mouthed at the crystal. Had that really just happened?  
"What did he say?" Jack asked, leaning against the wall. Elsa turned to look at him, but her eyes were drawn to the staff. Melt the shadows? What did that even mean? "Hey, Elsa," Jack said, waving. "Earth to Elsa. What's up?" Elsa shook herself and managed a small smile.

"My arm still hurts," she said, holding up the still frozen cut. Jack winced.

"Sorry about that," he said, rubbing the back of his head while grinning sheepishly. "Like I said, healing isn't my forte. I really don't know any kind of healing spells."

"Don't worry," Elsa reassured him, dropping her arm and attempting a smile. It came out more of a grimace. "Anyway, a voice said that we need to melt some sort of shadow." Jack blinked.

"He said the same to me. What does that even mean?" Elsa shrugged and turned back to the stone.

"How do I melt the shadows?" She asked, her voice echoing strangely again. The vibration ran through her mind in her own voice.

" _Release the Dark Lord from his prison and end his shadowy days or fell the Wizard of Ice. Two souls cannot live in the same body. Choose the Ice or the Dark."_ Elsa shivered. It was really creepy having her own voice repeated back to her like that, but she still relayed the words to Jack. If possible, Jack's skin went even paler than normal.

"The Dark Lord?" He asked, voice strained. He turned away from her, head bowed, knuckles white on the staff.

"Jack?" Elsa asked, stepping forward. "What is it? What happened?"

"You deserve to know," Jack said, still not looking at her. "After all, I did basically drag you away from your home with little to no explanation. I'm still marveling that you actually agreed to come." He chuckled softly, still not looking at her. Elsa huffed, rubbing her arm again.

"I agreed to come because I was done living in that prison of a castle." Jack shrugged again, and sighed.

"I came for you because you were the only who could see me," Jack said, finally meeting her eyes. He was struggling with something, that much was clear to Elsa. There was a storm of internal conflict behind Jack's crystal blue eyes. "Not three days ago, I was here, asking my own questions."

"What did you ask?" Jack took a deep breath.

"Is there anyone who can see me, where is this person, how do I break this curse," Jack said, looking away again. "This… thing," he shook his staff, "It… it…" Jack let out a frustrated breath of air.

"Why is it so hard to tell me?" Elsa asked. Jack looked at her, and he grimaced.

"Because I all wanted was power," Jack hissed, knuckles white on the end of his staff. "I wanted to be the most powerful wizard out there. Years ago, I heard of a staff that amplified the magic of whom ever wielded it. It was held by a powerful shadow mage, one who became to be known as the Boogeyman. I went looking for him and the staff, searched for years, and finally found them." Jack shook his head, turning away from her. Elsa frowned. She had never seen him this troubled. She had only known him for a day or two, and yet, his anguish twisted her heart.

"I am hear to listen," she said softly, lightly touching his hand with hers. He jerked his hand away and spun on her. She stumbled back at the look on his face. It was the same dark and cold look when he had broken her ice wall with such power.

"I fought the Dark Lord guy, his name was Pitch Black, and beat him. He dropped the staff and his body seemed to fade to nothing. I thought nothing of it and moved on. The second my fingers wrapped around this staff, I blacked out," Jack said tersely, "I woke up a few days later in the ruins of a nearby village." He closed his eyes, squeezing them shut, as if to block out the pain of the memory haunting his mind. "Frost covered every surface, even the villagers. Most houses had collapsed, a few even looked like they had been blasted apart. Around me, a ring of men holding weapons lay in pools of their own blood." Jack let out another hiss.

"I… I fled, running until I made it to the next village. I cried out for help, yet no one heard me. I fell to my knees in the road, begging people who passed, until one passed right through me." Jack slowly opened his eyes. "I'm a cursed man, Elsa. And I thought to use you and break my curse." He looked at her and stopped. "Why… why are you looking at me like that?"

There was no fear nor tears in her eyes, only pity for the poor tortured soul in front of her. Elsa smiled in a comforting way. "I'm not being used any more. I'll help you break this curse however I can." Jack's jaw dropped. His face looked so ridiculous that Elsa actually laughed.

"Seriously?" He asked, still dumbfounded at her words. She nodded and Jack closed his mouth. Heat rose in his cheeks and he quickly looked away from her. "Thanks," he mumbled.

"One more question to ask," Elsa said, still smiling at Jack. He nodded as she turned to the crystal a third time.

"How do we free the Dark Lord?" Another strange echo, more reverberations.

" _Shatter his bonds, break the staff, free his shadows, drive him into the light."_ Elsa frowned.

"Still creepy," she muttered.

"What?"

"Nothing," Elsa said quickly. As she turned back to Jack, something behind him caught her eye. The door into the cave was still open to the long bridge and massive craven beyond. Walking towards the Cave of Answers was a lone figure in somewhat fine clothing. His hair was short and slightly unkempt with a russet red beard. Dirt smudged his face as if he hadn't bathed in days. His tunic, though rumpled and dirty, looked as if he had recently bought it. A simple leather wrapped sword was belted at his waist.

"Hello there!" The figured called raising an arm in greeting. "I didn't know that others would be here as well." He smiled in a disarming way, his white teeth making his green eyes sparkle. Jack stepped in front of Elsa, yet his returning smile was just as disarming.

"Remember, he can't see or hear me," Jack said to Elsa. "I wouldn't trust him if I were you. He looks familiar but I can't quite place it." Elsa nodded slightly, then looked back at the approaching man. He was quite handsome, with sharp features and that wide smile.

"Hello," Elsa said politely. The man stopped just in the door way, his eyes never leaving Elsa. They narrowed for a half second before widening again. He cast his eyes once around the room then his smile widened.

"I believe I have finally found it," he said, nodding to himself. "Oh, pardon me," he bowed slightly before Elsa. "My name is Hans."

* * *

 **Well, I can honestly say it wasn't my idea to update this few and far between. But life caught me un prepared and a great deal has changed for me. I do hope to continue this thing but it will be a few and far between update. I hope I am doing characters justice with how I portray them. I hadn't originally plan for Hans to arrive, but after some rolls and thoughts, I decided to cast him in with everything.**

 **Anywho, I have a request of my awesome readers: what should the title be? The Completely Predictable Yet Unexpected Journey Where Anything can Happen? The Ice, The Snow, The Beasts, The Conquered? Or something different? I can't decide on one and I would love some feedback.**

 **That's all for today folks! I will highly recommend watching How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World. It is an awesome ending to a wonderful trilogy. Even though those words don't do it justice, let's hope I can write Hiccup, Toothless, and all the others up to the honor they deserve.**

 **Laters!**


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